IPs, IDPs get free houses from MSSD BARMM

AMPATUAN, Maguindanao del Sur - Indigenous Peoples and Moro indigents are now enjoying living in the comforts of their own homes provided by the government through the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.  

Norhaya Alim, one of the recipients of the housing units built by the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD-BARMM), extended her gratitude to the Bangsamoro Government.

“For 20 years of being homeless, we’ve been living with our relatives. Alhamdulillah, we finally have our own house now. Thank you very much to the Bangsamoro Government,” teary-eyed Alim said after receiving the land ownership certificate on Wednesday, May 22.

Earlier, MSSD Minister Rissa Jajurie spearheaded the distribution of documents for 74 housing unit recipients described as vulnerable homeless families in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur.

She said recipients belonged to indigenous and conflict-affected sectors living with their relatives and kin for several years. They received not just structured houses but a community.

“This housing project of the Bangsamoro Government is for the families affected by recurrent displacement. While we try to work on the security concerns with the active participation of the local government units (LGUs), we also need to address the welfare of those who are displaced by armed conflict,” Jajurie stated.

“With the help of different stakeholders, we want to give them not just houses but also a community that can thrive independently,” Jajurie told reporters.

“We will work with the LGU, government agencies, and other partners for the installation of electricity and water systems, the building of a child development center, the construction of roads leading to the area, and the provision of livelihood opportunities for the families to make the place habitable,” Jajurie added.

Jajurie lauded the LGU of Ampatuan for donating the land where the housing units were constructed.

Each housing unit costs P500,000 and each can comfortably accommodate a family of 4 to 5 members. Each unit has 2 bedrooms, a standard living room, a comfort room, and indoor and outdoor kitchen lavatories.

“Moving forward, there are also 100 housing units in the municipalities of Datu Hoffer and Datu Saudi Ampatuan currently under construction that are set to be turned over in the coming months,” said Yusoph Pilas, MSSD BARMM’s Engineering Section head.

The BAHAY Program is a housing intervention that serves as a long-term solution for indigenous and indigent families affected by recurring calamities and armed conflict.

Ampatuan Municipal Administrator Abdulbasit Langcap, Municipal Engineer Datu King Magelna assisted Minister Jajurie in the distribution of certificates of ownership to recipients. (Edwin O. Fernandez)